Portland High School, one of the oldest operating public high schools in the United States, held its 205th graduation exercises on June 3 at Merrill Auditorium. The late morning ceremony included several moving tributes to Portland High Principal Sheila Jepson, who is retiring after leading the school for the past 10 years. The event also featured remarks by Superintendent Ryan Scallon, student speeches and musical performances and the presentation of awards and diplomas. 

In his address, Scallon told the more than 190 members of the Class of 2026 that their accomplishments were impressive. “When I look at this class,” he said, “I see a powerful reflection of what makes Portland so incredible. You are a class of remarkable depth, global perspective and pure grit.”

“Academically, you pushed boundaries,” Scallon said. He noted that 31 students earned STEM endorsements that recognize their extensive work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition, he said, 39 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy, demonstrating their competence in English and at least one of the following languages: Bengali, French, Kinyarwanda, Latin, Lingala, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. “In a world that is more connected than ever, being multilingual is a superpower,” Scallon said.

“Your achievements in sports and arts are amazing,” Scallon continued. “You brought home state championships in girls’ cross country and boys’ basketball. Among you sits a national mogul skier, a published novelist, talented poets, musicians and dancers—even a professional Serbian traditional dancer. One of you even spent a semester living entirely off-grid in Ecuador!”

However, he told the Class of 2026 that what truly sets them apart is “your maturity, your work ethic and your deep commitment to community.” He noted that many of the graduates “had responsibilities well beyond your studies,” needing to work for financial reasons or stepping up at home to help raise younger siblings. In addition, Scallon said, “You showed up for each other” in such ways as building an inclusive Outing Club that brought together a mix of students, including many new to Maine, and initiating a variety of other clubs. And he said a number of class members gave back to the community through many hours of volunteer work. “In every one of those choices, you showed what leadership looks like.”

As a result of all those efforts, Scallon said, the graduates’ path now radiates out from Portland to institutions in Maine and all over the world: from the University of Maine system, Bowdoin and Southern Maine Community College, to Howard, Penn State, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Brown, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth—and across the globe to universities in Canada and Europe.

“What you’ve achieved here is impressive, but you haven’t done it alone,” Scallon said. He encouraged the graduates to recognize those who supported them along the way, including their families and school faculty and staff. He gave special acknowledgement to Principal Jepson, telling her that, after 10 years of her leadership, “this school is stronger because of you.” He noted that graduation day this year was also Jepson’s birthday and paused so that a group of students could step forward to sing “Happy Birthday,” to their principal, with everyone joining in.

Scallon noted that the community recently gathered at Merrill Auditorium to celebrate the life of Gerald Talbot—the Maine civil rights icon and community leader for whom Talbot Community School is named—who passed away on May 9. Scallon said that Talbot was a leader “in every sense of the word,” who didn’t “wait for permission to make Maine more fair. He led and in doing so, he opened doors that many of you will walk through today.” The superintendent urged the class of 2026 to carry the example of Talbot with them and “leave every community a little better than the way you found it.”

Salutatorian Chloe Knight spoke next, telling how she felt “out of my element” when she was a freshman in gym class because she wasn’t athletic. But she said she was able to make good friends of a similar mindset, with whom she bonded while taking walks with them. At Portland High School, she said, “there are so many different ways to experience a community.”

Valedictorian Oliver Killeen devoted the first few minutes of his remarks to praising Jepson, who he described as a thoughtful, student-centered leader who showed “genuine care for all students.” He said that Jepson showed students that “earning respect is a different thing from demanding it.”

Portland High’s Assistant Principal Sarah Obare will be stepping into the principal role in July.

Killeen also talked about his experiences at Portland High School, recalling how the school seemed so big and confusing when he was a freshman, making him feel small in comparison. But after four years of hard work and positive experiences at the high school, he said “the building is so much smaller now,” and he can easily navigate the maze of its hallways. He told his classmates that their next experiences beyond high school may make them feel small in the same way, but assured them that, eventually, “it will all shrink down until it fits just right.”

Jepson was the last speaker, and she turned around at the lectern and faced the graduates to address them directly. She praised the Class of 2026 for their “passion and hard work” and gave them three final pieces of advice:

●      Don’t fear the “I don’t know”

●      Be a success on your own terms

●      Leave the room better than you find it

At the conclusion of her remarks, Jepson also announced the winners of the prestigious Brown Memorial Medal, which is unique to Portland High School. The silver medal was established in the 1864 will of Portland businessman J.B. Brown to honor his son. The award goes to students who are the top 10 academically in their class. This year’s Brown Medal awardees are: Oliver Killeen; Chloe Knight; Sylvia Holmes; Lucille Drew; David Tit; Lillian Prue; Samuel Morrison; Ella Vinkenmulder; Emmett Faye-LeBlanc; and Clement Dean. 

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with more than 6,200 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 61 languages. Approximately 49 percent of the district’s students are white and 51 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.